The 5-minute renovation planning exercise that prevents budget disasters
Here's a simple renovation planning exercise I wish every homeowner would do before starting any project.
I call it the Domino Effect, and it takes about 5 minutes. But those 5 minutes can save you weeks of headaches and thousands in unexpected costs.
Here's how it works:
Grab a pen and paper and list everything your project touches — then everything that item touches. Try to anticipate the domino effect of how changing one thing will flow into the rest of your space.
For example, swapping carpet for hardwood means…
→ Flooring touches baseboards and door trim. Carpet is thicker than hardwood, so you might find yourself with a gap between your new floor and the existing trim. Now you have to replace the baseboards and probably repaint as well.
→→ Baseboards touch drywall. Will you patch or replace drywall if it gets torn when you pull off the baseboards? Will you need to repaint?
→→→ Your living room touches other rooms. Will you extend the flooring into those rooms? If so, what does the flooring touch there — cabinetry, tile? How will you handle the impact on those spaces?
One "simple" flooring change can trigger a cascade of extra work and costs.
Renovation planning prevents budget disasters
The point isn't to scare you away from your project. The point is to help you see the full scope so you can plan properly and budget realistically.
Try this exercise on your own project. Pick one change you want to make and trace through everything it connects to. Make an actual list (yes, with pen and paper) of all the things that touch or intersect with what you're planning to change.
Then, have a conversation about what you'll do if those areas are affected.
Give yourself time to think through these scenarios and what-ifs. Take at least a month to game things out, research your options, and decide how you'll handle them. It might feel frustrating or unnecessary during the planning stage — but it will save you so much stress and unexpected cost in the long run.
